Establishment of the White House Faith Office

The original order establishing a faith-oriented office in the White House, under President George W. Bush, aimed to eliminate barriers in federal agency practices that barred or discouraged faith-oriented organizations from participating in federally-supported social service efforts. This order aims for the same objective, chiefly by eliminating Obama-era rules that forbade religious organizations offering social services supported by federal funds to incorporate faith-oriented content or messages in those services, and mandated that they take on the burden of finding alternate services for beneficiaries who objected to their religious orientation. Like the Bush order, this order requests a multi-agency assessment of where federal practices discourage participation of faith-based organizations, but with an added push to seek input “from experts and various faith and community leaders. . . including those from outside the Federal Government and those from State, local, and Tribal governments.” Insofar as this translates into agency practices that welcome local and civil society engagement in community services, it represents an advance for federalism.

Establishment of The White House Faith Office – The White House

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Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Establishes White House Faith Office – The White House

February 7, 2025